According to the Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice, “Building a stronger Hawaiʻi for residents and businesses means creating more opportunities for families to climb the economic ladder, but Hawaiʻi’s low wages and unequal tax structure crushes those who can afford it the least, driving families into poverty and homelessness.

“Hawaiʻi has the lowest wages in the nation after adjusting for our cost of living, which is the highest in the nation. Families who are faltering beneath the weight of high costs for housing, utilities, and food are even further burdened by Hawaiʻi’s General Excise Tax (GET). Our lowest-income residents pay almost 10 times as much of their income on the GET as those at the top.”

Clearly, the state can improve economic conditions for residents by creating truly affordable housing and raising the minimum wage.

One bill just introduced at the Hawaiʻi State Legislature would increase the minimum wage to $12 per hour beginning Jan. 1, 2023, and go to $18 per hour beginning Jan. 1, 2026.

Through this incremental wage hike, state lawmakers can gauge the impact on Hawaiʻi businesses.